Day at Whitehall Middle School

John Mierz, a teacher at the Whitehall Middle School, and I met at the Barnes & Noble book signing on November 6th. The students there are preparing for a big writing assignment that will last an entire month. John invited me into Ms. Kibart’s classes to talk with their seventh graders about writing and, in particular, how to develop strong and memorable characters.

I put together a PowerPoint presentation with things I’ve learned about character development, including strategies for introducing humor and compassion into the characters.

Such bright and inquisitive minds. They kept me busy answering questions all day long. Where did you get the idea for the book? How did you decide what to name your characters? How did you come up with the strange characters in Bernie’s woods? Are you writing another book?